The Valley Transportation Authority’s new Board Chair, Sergio Lopez, takes office Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Lopez, who is serving as Vice Mayor for the City of Campbell and is a leader on housing and climate issues, was elected unanimously Thursday, November 7, 2024, by the VTA Board of Directors. He takes over from Cindy Chavez, whose term as a Santa Clara County Supervisor ends this year.
“As Board Chair, my focus will be on increasing accountability and transparency across the board,” Lopez says. “That will mean governance reform to improve the functioning of the Board, including making sure the Board has the resources necessary for its policy making, watchdog, and advocacy functions. I’m also working on making sure we improve our Board orientation when the new Directors are sworn in next year, and that we have the systems in place to ensure accountability.”
Lopez comes to the role after nearly a year as Vice Chair as Chavez, a four-time VTA Chair, moves to New Mexico to become the Bernalillo County Manager after a public service career in Santa Clara Valley spanning over two decades. Over the past year, Chavez and Lopez worked together with an unprecedentedly close working relationship as Chair and Vice Chair. He also worked closely with past Chair Pat Burt, Palo Alto Councilmember, with the three comprising the Board’s Executive Committee.
“We are fortunate that Vice Chair Lopez is willing and more than able to step into this position,” said former VTA Board Chair and current Director, Pat Burt, who also serves on the Palo City Council. “We've worked closely together the past couple years, and I really value his judgement, thoughtfulness, and commitment to what we're doing and look forward to his leadership in this coming year.”
The new Chair’s passion for connecting Santa Clara County residents and ensuring government works for all comes from his personal experience. “Growing up, as the working-class son of immigrant parents, VTA’s buses were my lifeline,” Lopez says. “My dad worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table and had the family car, so the bus kept my mom and I connected to Campbell and the broader community. She still tells the story of how I would cry when we actually had the car and I couldn’t take the bus! After we faced the loss of our home and small business during the Great Recession, I entered public service to help give a voice to communities who’ve been left out. Since day one, I knew that meant service one day as part of VTA, to make sure our transit system works for all of our residents and communities.”
Lopez brings a wealth of experience in both the public and private sector. Outside of his role as Board Chair, Lopez has served as a Campbell City Councilmember since 2020 and has worked on statewide utility issues and as a nonprofit executive. He has experience with policy and advocacy at the state and national level and is a former White House intern, with extensive relationships in Sacramento and Washington, DC. As Councilmember, he helped Campbell deliver one of the most ambitious housing plans on a per capita basis in the region and supported the development of its first-ever Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. He has also worked on electrification across the region as Director of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Lopez attended Yale University on a Questbridge Scholarship, received an MA at Duke Divinity School, and is currently working on earning his MBA at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, learning finance, accounting, and operations skills, and a Master of Legal Studies at the UCLA School of Law. He is an author and historian, working on several books of history for both an academic and trade press, and is regularly featured as a local and national commentator and writer on history and culture.
As a Director and Vice Chair of VTA, Lopez has been known for taking an collaborative and inclusive approach toward the issues facing VTA, including BART to Silicon Valley and the need to improve workplace culture issues. “We can’t tackle the big challenges we’re facing without also making VTA one of the best places to work in the region. I’m looking forward to bringing in the best ideas from both the public and private sector, while collaborating with all our employees and unions, to make sure we’re delivering on that promise.”
Lopez is a transit user, and that experience has informed his service on the Board. “When Taylor Swift came to town, I was one of the tens of thousands relying on VTA light rail to get there,” he says. “With the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and more coming in 2026, we’re going to work hard this year to make sure our system gets our residents where they need to go. That’s essential if we want to get more cars off the road and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”
At the November 7 meeting, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was also elected as Vice Chair.
“I’ve worked with Mayor Mahan over the past year and have been impressed by his commitment to public transit,” Lopez says. “I’m looking forward to having a close working relationship with him as Vice Chair as we deliver for all of our county’s residents.”
Lopez’s term as Board chair runs until December 2025, when he is eligible to run for a second term under an update to VTA’s administrative code. He will be the youngest Chair in the agency’s history.
“It’s important for all our residents to see themselves reflected in the leadership of our government at all levels,” he reflects. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work hard to make sure our agency meets the needs and expectations of everyone we serve.”